Murray falls at first hurdle

Australian Open:  Andy Murray's Australian Open hopes were dashed as he crashed out of the tournament on the opening day.

Australian Open: Andy Murray's Australian Open hopes were dashed as he crashed out of the tournament on the opening day.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga proved too strong for the British number one as he powered his way to a 7-5 6-4 0-6 7-6 (7-5) first-round victory.

The Scot failed to produce anything like his best form as a series of errors - the last of which was a loose forehand which cost him the match in a fourth-set tie-break - handed Tsonga the initiative.

Murray briefly got on top of his opponent as he claimed the third set to love but even though Tsonga required treatment on a thigh muscle injury, it was he who came back stronger to come through a fiercely-contested fourth set.

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Murray, who arrived at the competition heavily tipped to make an impression after winning the Qatar Open in Doha earlier this month, started slowly and lost the first set on the Rod Laver Arena.

He survived four break points in the opening game to hold serve, only for Tsonga - ranked 38th in the world - to level by winning the first of his own service games.

But after falling short in the opener, the Frenchman capitalised in the third game by breaking Murray's serve to take an early advantage which he consolidated in the next game despite Murray earning his first break point of the match.

The big-serving Frenchman used his principal weapon, his forehand, to devastating effect to move to 5-3 ahead but then failed to serve out.

Tsonga reclaimed the advantage immediately, however, by breaking Murray's serve for the second time in the set and this time he held his nerve to win the set 7-5.

Murray failed to improve his fortunes at the start of the second set, losing his opening service game to immediately slip behind.

The Scot had a chance to pull himself back into the set with a break point in the eighth game, only for Tsonga to hold his nerve and maintain his cushion.

Murray held his serve with ease to again put the pressure on Tsonga, but the Frenchman held firm to take the second set 6-4 and leave the Briton's hopes of success hanging by a thread.

He reacted strongly, though, finding a series of impressive winners as he broke three times in succession to claw his way back into the game with a 6-0 third-set win.

But after receiving treatment on a thigh injury Tsonga came back stronger. The fourth set was keenly contested but for every fine net stroke Murray found, he produced a wayward forehand or an imprecise lob.

The tense set followed serve until Tsonga engineered a break in the ninth game but at 5-4 down the Scot held his nerve - while his opponent's faltered - to find a break of his own.

When 5-5 became 6-6 a tie-break followed but once again a Murray mistake opened to door for Tsonga, and a missed forehand gave the Frenchman victory on his first match point.